Reigning world junior climbing champion Luce Douady was killed on Sunday after falling from a cliff in south-eastern France. (More Sports News)
Luce Douady fell 150m as she and a group of friends reportedly tried to cross a tricky path in south-eastern France
Reigning world junior climbing champion Luce Douady was killed on Sunday after falling from a cliff in south-eastern France. (More Sports News)
Douady, 16, fell 150m as she and a group of friends reportedly tried to cross a tricky path equipped with a handrail between two climbing areas.
"Luce was a young athlete on the French climbing team, very promising," French Mountain Climbing Federation (FFME) said on its website. "Brilliant in competition."
Regarded as a future star, Douady made her debut on the IFSC Boulder World Cup circuit as a 15-year-old, finishing fifth. And she had moved on to senior competition.
She was "a lover of all facets of climbing", the FFME said, expressing the "immense sadness of the climbing community".
BBC, quoting Le Dauphiné, reported that her body has been recovered and an investigation opened. The exact circumstances of her death are unclear.
Bouldering is one of the disciplines when sports climbing makes its debut at next year's rescheduled Tokyo Olympics. And Douady was seen as a medal prospect.